Truck Re-design

This week our EV class is very busy with working on many different aspects of our Ford Ranger. Pictured here are EV members Hannah Shauer and Gwynneth Waters as they are preparing to mount one of the doors from our other Ford Ranger parts donor truck. After we mount the new doors in, our EV class is planning to purchase a creative wrap for the truck. We are very excited for our newly designed look as well as the new components that will be installed in the truck. EV challenge 2015 here we come!
-AA

Door Transplant

This week, one of the projects our class has been focusing on is the replacement of our beloved Ford Ranger Edge’s rugged and slightly dented doors. The need for a replacement arose due to some previous unfortunate incidents. So today, we finally took it upon ourselves to make the big switch.

Our class is lucky enough to have a spare Ford Ranger that we can cannibalize for necessary parts at will. The doors were removed in a multi-step process that was more time-consuming than difficult. Arguably the most arduous part was carrying the disembodied doors through the rain into the garage to be united with our current vehicle. It went very well and we will be attaching the doors soon as well as giving them a thorough cleaning. Also in the near future is a brand new paint job for the entire vehicle in an as-yet-to-be-determined style and color. Keep checking in regularly for updates on all three of our electric vehicles.

-GMW

THIS ONE IS ALIVE TOO!

Well...closer to life than the small-scale vehicle. More like in a coma. But living (somewhat) nonetheless! This beautiful piece of rusted metal and corroded wires is a General Electric Elec-Trak  battery-powered tractor that was donated to our electric vehicle program some time ago. The old beast has sat in disrepair until a member of our program stepped up to the challenge of restoring it to its former grass-mowing glory as a senior project. And so, work started as soon as possible. First came the clean up. The tractor received a good wash and scrubbing before the real work could begin. After that, a series of rewiring, troubleshooting, and hot wiring began. Six batteries of six volts were then put into the tractor for a full testing (We figured that the worst that could happen is the senior project bursting into flames). But, lo and behold, the more than forty year old motors still run! The tractor was alive enough for a quick test drive and some doughnuts behind the school. But, the fun only lasted so long before a primary contactor began to fail and the vehicle slipped back into its vegetative state. And so, there is much more work to be done! There are brakes to repair, contactors to replace, wires to run and a sweet paint job for the finishing touches. It won’t be long before another vehicle is added to the Topsail fleet!

SC

Truck battery box

Progress is slow but steady in the Topsail garage. We’ve had a couple of sparks flying with the assembly of a new battery box for the fresh shipment of lithium-ion batteries in our Ranger. The new batteries will lighten the truck by about 30% and enable the expansion of new technologies with the gained bed and hood space. Some of the gawkers in this picture are working diligently on our revised, new and improved, small-scale vehicle. We’ll finish it all soon enough.
-HS

STEM Cycle Re-design

 

IT'S ALIVE!

Well, not really, but the progress on the small-scale EV re-design and rebuild is substantial. Our old box aluminum frame is being reused, and added on to, in order to better fit our needs. It's been a long process to saw, grind, and file the aluminum, however the new frame should be ready to be welded by the end of the week. Then, only the wiring, steering, body, and some creative finishing touches are left.
 -CB

Presents, Pirates, and Parades

On Monday, December 1st, the EV class received an early Christmas - lithium batteries for our 2001 Ford Ranger Edge. These batteries are meant for the Nissan Leaf but we were able to purchase them from an online depot selling the safe, salvaged batteries from wrecked Leafs. 

In the wake of this shipment, the class has been focused on only two things for the month of December: preparing to install the batteries in the truck and preparing for the 11th annual Christmas Parade on Topsail Island. We were lucky enough this year to participate in this show of seasonal spirit and display our 1991 Toyota MR2 as well as our homegrown STEM Cycle with other local businesses and programs. In a vehement defiance of stereotypes of the engineering-minded, the team was able to put together a wonderfully creative and fun display featuring a fixture of the EV garage and an honorary member of our class. 

In addition to showing two of our vehicles, the parade experience was a good ol' fashioned great time. The team got to meet members of the community that supports us and give back a little through a few laughs via the so eloquently named EV Pirate. We hope to be back next year with all of our vehicles to make the experience even better.

NC Spot Festival

We are displaying all three of our vehicles at the NC Spot Festival in Hampstead this weekend.  Come visit us from 10-6 each day; we are next to the camel rides!  Proceeds from the Spot Festival help support the Topsail schools.